Although not friendly with Saudi Arabia, the Israeli government is similarly disenchanted with Obama's regional performance. Prince Turki's comments are just the most recent installment of these governments trying to goad the United States into dubious actions in the region that would not be in U.S. interests.

According to Prince Turki, "We've seen several red lines put forward by the president, which went along and became pinkish as time grew, and eventually ended up completely white. When that kind of assurance comes from a leader of a country like the United States, we expect him to stand by it. There is an issue of confidence." He added that when a country has strong allies, "you should be able to give them the assurance that what you say is going to be what you do."